Government corresponds with NEPC in Sinhala language

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 August 2002, 20:55 GMT]The central government of Sri Lanka still maintains official correspondence with Tamil dominated North East Provincial Council only in Sinhala language. This has caused provincial officials immense difficulties in getting those letters and circulars translated into Tamil or English, NEPC sources said.

Earlier the central government authorities had asked the NEPC administration to furnish details about the line ministries corresponding only in Sinhala language. The NEPC administration had promptly sent all details. Still central government ministries correspond with NEPC in Sinhala only, officials said

In some instances we receive Sinhala letters with English translation. On the whole all correspondence are in Sinhala language, they said.

Some line ministers have strictly instructed their officials to correspond with NEPC and schools in the region in Sinhala with English or Tamil translation. However top officials in such ministries ignore these instructions and continue to correspond in Sinhala only without any translation, NEPC officials said.